Najmeh Ahmadzadeh tops at Tehran Intl. Storytelling Festival

Iranian storyteller Najmeh Ahmadzadeh took first place in the international competition of the 21st International Storytelling Festival in Tehran, the organizers announced on Thursday.

Winners in various categories were honored during the closing ceremony of the event at the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA).

The performances in this section were judged by actress Mahtab Keramati and writer and journalist Mansur Zabetian, both from Iran, and Kasper Sorensen from Denmark.

Alicia Dongjoo Bang from Korea won second prize and Spanish storyteller Flor Carnales Bastidas received third prize.

The jury also awarded Farzad Shirmohammadi from Iran and French storyteller Oliver Villanove honorable mentions.

“I loved Iranian stories from childhood,” Sorensen, the Danish members of the jury, said at the awards ceremony. “I saw the same beauty when I attended this festival.”

In his short speech, IIDCYA director Fazel Nazari also said, “All of us have our own inner child and such festivals give us the opportunity to demonstrate it again.”

“We are loyal to those who made us good memories and this is good news for you storytellers and teachers who work for children. Therefore, I certainly hope these children, for whom you devoted your lives, will never forget you,” he added.

Seyda Cevik from Turkey, Kiran Kantilal Shah from Australia, Ahmad Hossein Zaher from Lebanon and Zohreh Sharifi from Afghanistan were other overseas participants in the festival, which was organized from December 17 to 20.

Photo: Iranian storyteller Najmeh Ahmadzadeh receives her prize from jury member Mansur Zabetian during the closing ceremony of the 21st International Storytelling Festival in Tehran on December 20, 2018. (IIDCYA/Yunes Panahi)